See the destruction caused by Australia's Pokie Plague 1:28

See the destruction of Aussie lives brought about by the pokie plague in Australia

September 8th 2017

19 days ago

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A sneaky trick is robbing Australia of its wealth.Source:istock

IT’S the mechanism that’s hoovering up our money, and now it’s under the spotlight as the screws turn on an industry accused of destroying Australia.

People whose lives have been ruined by pokies say they have been reeled in by “outrageous” features of these electronic gaming machines — and one is particularly shocking.

A landmark case against Australia’s “powerful” and “exploitative” gambling industry, which has been compared to guns in the US, began on Tuesday and will run for two weeks. News.com.au looked at its most alarming claims for part three of our special series on our pokies obsession (read part one and part two here).

REELED IN: THE FIFTH DIMENSION

The case against Crown Melbourne and Aristocrat Technologies in the Federal Court centres on one particular machine, Dolphin Treasure, which Monash University public health lecturer Charles Livingstone bought and took apart to see how the “game” worked. This is what he claims to have discovered:

• The machines have five “reels” covered in symbols. While the reels look identical on screen, the fifth reel is actually significantly bigger, with 44 symbols instead of just 30, meaning that getting a row of identical symbols is far harder than you think. “No matter how many ‘jackpot’ symbols you get on the first four reels, the big fifth reel keeps the odds stacked in favour of the house,” says Maurice Blackburn principal lawyer Jacob Varghese.

• The symbols are not evenly distributed between the reels — so the first, second and third reel could have seven kings and the fourth reel only two. Consequently, even though you might regularly see a line of kings the first three positions, getting a king in the fourth spot would be close to impossible.

“It’s like playing a game of cards without knowing that the deck has four aces of spades, three queen of hearts and 7 tens of diamonds. It’s rigged,” says Mr Varghese. “And the effect on players is that they see these symbols coming up constantly, but they don’t know that their real odds are determined by the reel with the lowest number of the given symbol.”

If you did this in a game of cards, it would be illegal, say supporters of the case.

Former addict Shonica Guy claims the game is rigged and is taking the powerful industry through the courts. Picture: AAP Image/Joe CastroSource:AAP

‘IT IS WRONG, AND IT HAS TO STOP’

Not only are the reels “deceptive and misleading”, there are a number of other features built into the machines that cause untold harm, claims lead applicant and former addict Shonica Guy.

One of these is “losses disguised as wins” — an idea her lawyer Jennifer Kanis calls “outrageous”.

• Here’s how it works: The gambler can spend as much as $10 on one line, or spin. Say they do that. Then they press the button and get a few matching symbols on the screen. Lights flash, music blares and they are told they have won $4. In fact, they have lost $6.

It’s a simple trick, but the sounds and visuals have been found to activate pleasure centres in our brains. We feel good. “The idea of losses disguised as wins is outrageous,” said Ms Kanis. “A win should be a win.

“These features act to draw a player in and make them feel they have a better chance of winning than they do. The machines cause addiction.”

• The final part of the case looks at warnings: By law, pokies have to state the risk taken by players. States and territories set a minimum “return to player” of between 85 and 90 per cent.

Dolphin Treasure states that it returns 87.83 per cent. However, this “return to player” is just an average on any given spin, Ms Guy points out. A return of 87.83 per cent means you lose an average of 12.17 per cent each spin. If you play multiple games — as the machines encourage — you most likely will be left with nothing.

“These machines took over my life for 14 years, and I do not want that to happen to another family,” said Ms Guy. “People deserve to know what is going on with the design of these machines, which deliberately give people false hope that they have a chance of winning to keep them playing.

“It is wrong, and it has to stop.”

Dolphin Treasure poker machine is under the microscope for features described as ‘deceptive’ and ‘feeding addiction’.Source:News Limited

GAMBLING IN AUSTRALIA LIKE ‘GUNS IN AMERICA’

Anti-gambling campaigner Tim Costello claims the industry is the most powerful in Australia, criticising state governments for being enslaved to its donations and revenue. “The gambling industry in Australia is equivalent to guns in America,” he told reporters. “They are the equivalent of the National Rifle Association in Australia. That’s why we have the greatest number of problem gamblers bar no country in the world, because of the power of this industry.

“Australia is facing a gambling crisis and the sooner we can get more attention on the unfair drivers behind this and clean up the industry, the better.”

He said pokies were “dangerously addictive” and the trial gave “hope to everyone campaigning to wind back Australia’s tragic record of being the biggest gamblers in the world.”

His colleague at the Alliance of Gambling Reform, Allison Keogh, said the trial “should have happened years ago to mitigate the enormous harm which is imposed on communities year after year by a rich, powerful and well-connected industry.”

Ms Guy’s lawyer Ron Merkel QC told the court the case was “about looking at the design features of the machines and the way they are presented and the way they exploit vulnerable people.”

A public inquiry in 2010 found there were 115,000 severe “problem gamblers” in Australia, with a further 280,000 categorised as at “moderate risk” — but campaigners believe the figures may be far higher. News.com.au has been contacted by scores of people confessing to a problem with pokies since the start of this series on Tuesday. It would appear almost everyone knows someone affected by gambling.

Ms Guy is fighting for a ban on the supply and operation of the Dolphin Treasure machine or anything similar, which could have far-reaching consequences for the pokies industry.

Crown’s lawyer Neil Young QC said the machines were tested and approved by Victoria’s independent statutory authority regulating the gambling industry — there is one for every state. Mr Young said Crown was “entirely reliant” on the approval and had no access to the machine software, nor was it in a position to change its configuration.

Poker machines have to comply with the Australia/New Zealand Gaming Machine National Standard, which include “responsible gambling measures”.

Gaming Technologies Association CEO Ross Ferrar told news.com.au there is clear legislation (usually state-determined), regulation and national standards on pokies. “The national standard says you can’t give a player a false expectation of odds, you’ve got to accurately represent them, and ensure the result is not misleading, illusory or deceptive so players can make an informed choice.”

He said there was help available for problem gamblers including statewide self-exclusion in NSW — in other states, you must visit every venue separately to get yourself banned. Mr Ferrar believes “problem gambling is on the decline” in Australia thanks to measures introduced over the years, including:

• showing the amount won/lost in dollars as well as points

• having a clock on the screen

• slowing the game down by not allowing players to interrupt the spin.

Crown and Aristocrat strongly deny the allegations against them. A spokeswoman for Crown — which houses 38 of the machines — said it was “vigorously defending the claim” but could not comment further with the matter before the court.

Aristocrat added that it “emphatically rejects any suggestion that its games are designed to encourage problem gambling, or in any way fail to comply with all relevant regulations and laws.”

If the case succeeds, the ramifications could be huge, forcing Crown and Aristocrat to remove or redesign Dolphin Treasure and opening the door for further action against the industry.

The trial continues.

If you or someone you know has a problem with gambling, contact Gamblers Anonymous for help.